Fang Xun took a small sip, then nodded. "It's delicious. Master Mao of Wanmin Restaurant never disappoints."
He paused, then looked toward the villagers and called out, "All right, everyone, dig in. The food won't taste as good once it gets cold."
After Fang Xun took the first sip of soup, the villagers began lining up to serve themselves chicken soup.
As Fang Xun's little secretary, Little Ningguang naturally took it upon herself to organize everything, keeping things running smoothly and in good order.
Before long, the villagers were enjoying steaming hot meals.
Everyone chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was cheerful.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was the Lantern Rite.
During all this, Fang Xun made sure to set aside a meal for Ningguang.
The little girl made sure every villager got a fair share of food.
As a result, Little Ningguang was the last one to eat.
Fang Xun didn't want her to be stuck with leftovers, so he specifically asked Master Mao to make her a fresh meal of her own.
Now that he'd decided to take care of Ningguang, he was going to give her the very best.
He couldn't let the poor little thing feel sad or suffer the slightest bit of hardship.
Want to drink coconut milk? Is that okay?
Seeing that all the villagers had their food, Little Ningguang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her task was done, so she went to get herself some food.
But when she got closer, she saw that the food in the pot was almost gone. She could only pour soup over her rice.
Still, Little Ningguang wasn't upset.
She'd gone through too many hard times before.
She knew that even rice soaked in soup was much better than going hungry.
As far as she was concerned, being able to fill her stomach was already plenty. How could she be picky?
Just as Ningguang was about to mix her rice with soup,
Fang Xun brought over a steaming, generous serving of food and set it in front of the poor little thing.
He reached out and gently pinched Ningguang's cheek, his voice full of affection. "Little one, eat while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it gets cold."
Ningguang stared at the big bowl of food in front of her, looking surprised.
Then she immediately realized that Fang Xun had asked Master Mao to cook her a fresh meal.
Warmth filled the little girl's heart.
She hadn't expected Fang Xun to keep her in mind all the time,
or even to ask Master Mao to make her an extra meal.
It felt so nice to have Brother Fang Xun looking after her~
(*≧∪≦)
Little Ningguang took the food and flashed a sweet smile. "Thank you, Brother Fang Xun~"
Seeing how adorably innocent Little Ningguang looked,
Fang Xun couldn't help but laugh.
It was just a meal made especially for her. Was she really that happy?
Still,
Fang Xun had to admit that ever since Little Ningguang had stopped doing hard labor and worrying about earning money,
the little girl had grown prettier and prettier—or maybe she'd always been this beautiful.
Fang Xun believed that
if he raised the clean and adorable little girl well,
then, in time, Ningguang would become the most dazzling beauty in all of Liyue.
Just then, Fang Xun noticed something else.
Ningguang was picking through her bowl with her chopsticks, carefully separating the different foods.
At first, Fang Xun thought she was being picky.
But then Ningguang put all the meat into Fang Xun's bowl, leaving only some vegetables and chili peppers in her own.
"Ningguang knows Brother Fang Xun likes these dishes, so Ningguang wants to give them to him~"
After spending the past few days together, Ningguang had already memorized Fang Xun's eating habits.
For instance, Fang Xun liked his meat cut into small pieces, and he preferred mild food and didn't eat much spicy food.
Fang Xun had never specifically told her about these little things, but Ningguang remembered every one of them.
So she hadn't been picking through her food because she was fussy.
She'd been setting aside the dishes Fang Xun liked.
The little girl was innocent and simple-minded.
She just wanted to save the best things for Fang Xun.
Fang Xun didn't say a word. He simply reached out and rubbed the top of Ningguang's head.
They said daughters were little rays of sunshine.
Ningguang wasn't Fang Xun's daughter, but she still gave him that same warm feeling.
The little girl was just too considerate.
"Little one, I've already eaten. You can have that food yourself."
Fang Xun was touched, but he still politely declined Ningguang's offer.
Little Ningguang looked dejected, her lips pursed as she gazed at him pitifully.
"Does Brother Fang Xun dislike Ningguang?"
The little girl was sensitive. When Fang Xun turned her down, she thought he didn't like her.
Seeing that Little Ningguang looked close to tears, Fang Xun hurriedly said, "Brother Fang Xun likes Ningguang so much. How could he ever dislike her?"
Future Ningguang would be an expert at pouring tea.
If Fang Xun ever disliked Ningguang, he'd probably slap himself twice.
Fang Xun paused, then continued, "I'm just thinking that Little Ningguang is still growing."
"You need to eat more so you'll get all the nutrition you need, understand?"
"And not only should you eat more, I also asked Master Mao to prepare some papaya for you to have for dessert."
"With a balanced diet, you'll grow up faster. Understand?"
Fang Xun looked completely serious. He really wasn't lying.
Tears glimmered in Little Ningguang's beautiful eyes as she stared at him.
After a while, the little girl finally spoke softly. "Brother Fang Xun won't lie to Ningguang, will he?"
"Brother Fang Xun... really doesn't dislike Ningguang?"
Fang Xun assured her with complete conviction, "I won't lie to you. If I do, I hope I lose every 50/50 and have to hit hard pity every time!"
There couldn't be a more heartfelt promise.
Little Ningguang tilted her head. She didn't understand what losing a 50/50 or hitting hard pity meant,
but she could tell that Fang Xun was serious and wasn't lying.
Little Ningguang hugged Fang Xun tightly, then said softly, "Ningguang likes Brother Fang Xun too."
Only after Little Ningguang stopped crying did Fang Xun finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The little cutie was adorable, but she cried far too easily.
While Ningguang quietly ate her meal,
Fang Xun looked up at the other little one, Qiqi.
While the villagers all around them laughed and chatted,
Little Qiqi sat quietly in a corner, lost in thought.
As if she sensed someone watching her, she looked up and met Fang Xun's gaze.
Then little Qiqi picked up her bowl and walked over to him.
Little Qiqi blinked her pink eyes and said seriously, "Qiqi... doesn't get hungry..."
"Food... leave for Fang Xun..."
As she spoke, little Qiqi stepped closer and held out her bowl of food to Fang Xun.
Because of Qiqi's unusual constitution,
she couldn't taste anything she ate, and she never felt hungry.
The only reason Qiqi had served herself a meal was that she worried Fang Xun wouldn't have enough to eat.
She'd set it aside especially for him.
Fang Xun suddenly felt like a father.
Both of the girls in his care were exceptionally obedient and thoughtful.
It made him, their old dad, feel deeply gratified.
But...
Why were both little ones so determined to feed him?
Before you continue